A tape cassette including a cassette shell in which a tape reel having a tape-shaped recording medium wound therearound is accommodated, and a front lid which serves to cover the front surface side of the tape-shaped recording medium exposed to the front face of the cassette shell and is provided to the cassette shell so as to be movable between a lid-closed position at which it covers the front surface side of the tape-shaped recording medium and a lid open position at which the front surface side of the tape-shaped recording medium is opened, is provided with a lock mechanism for locking the front lid at the lid-closed position so as to prevent the front lid from being arbitrarily moved to the open position when the tape cassette is unused.
Further, in the prior art, the lock mechanism is (equipped) attached to the cassette shell itself.
In the case where the lock mechanism for the front lid is provided to the cassette shell, for example when it is provided to the outside of the cassette shell, the lock mechanism is necessarily exposed to the outside when the front lid is moved to the open position even if it can be hidden behind the front lid when the lid is closed. Therefore, the lock mechanism can be touched by fingers, and such an accident that the parts constituting the lock mechanism are detached may occur in some cases.
Further, when the lock mechanism for the front lid is provided on the inside of the cassette shell.
The applicant of this application has owned the following three U.S. patents pertaining to this application:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,237 titled xe2x80x9cLid ASSEMBLY FOR A TAPE CASSETTE WHICH PROTECTS FRONT AND REAR SURFACES OF A MAGNETIC TAPExe2x80x9d;
2. U.S. Pat. No. 5,412,525 titled xe2x80x9cTAPE CASSETTE HAVING A ROCKABLE FINGER FOR LATCHING A SLIDABLE SHUTTERxe2x80x9d; AND
3. U.S. Pat. No. 5,502,608 titled xe2x80x9cTAPE CASSETTE HAVING A CASE WITH A MOUTH FOR MAGNETIC HEAD DRUM OF A RECORDING/REPRODUCING APPARATUSxe2x80x9d.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to prevent a lock mechanism for a front lid from being exposed to the outside irrespective of any state of the front lid while the lock mechanism is provided to the outside of the cassette shell.
In order to attain the above object, a tape cassette according to the present invention is characterized by including a front lid comprising a main portion for covering the front surface side of a tape-shaped recording medium and a side surface portion projecting backward from the side edge of the main portion, and a lid lock member for locking the front lid at a lid-closed position, the lid lock member being provided to the inner surface of the side surface portion of the front lid so as to be rotatable inside the side surface portion of the front lid.
Accordingly, according to the tape cassette of the present invention, the lid lock member is located inside the side surface portion of the front lid and thus prevent from being exposed to the outside even when the front lid is in any position.